Letters to Campus

December 2009

Dear K-State Faculty, Staff, and Students,

Happy Holidays from Anderson Hall! I trust that each of you finished up your semester and are looking forward to a little "down time" over the next couple of weeks. I have always been a fan of the "12 Days of Christmas," so I present to you my 2009 version of this classic ...

On the First Day of Christmas, Willie the Wildcat gave to me - One APLU National Public Service Award. This past year, Virginia Moxley, Dean of the College of Human Ecology, received the first ever Public Service Award from the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU). The award was presented to Dean Moxley by Dr. April Mason, our new provost and senior VP at the November national meeting.

On the Second Day of Christmas, Willie the Wildcat gave to me - Two non-stop American Airlines jet flights daily from the Little Apple to the Big "D." This summer, American Airlines officially started offering non-stop jet service from the Manhattan Regional Airport (MHK) to Dallas - Ft. Worth, making travel in and out of Manhattan easier and more convenient.

On the Third Day of Christmas, Willie the Wildcat gave to me - A top three in the nation ranking for our Bachelor of Interior Architecture/Design and Bachelor of Landscape Architecture programs. The annual survey of programs was compiled by DesignIntelligence and the Design Futures Council.

On the Fourth Day of Christmas, Willie the Wildcat gave to me - Four different flavors of a gluten-free flavored waffle cone. This past year, two of our graduate students (Angela Dodd - Food Science; Melissa Daniel - Animal Sciences) took first place in the International American Association of Cereal Chemists Product Development Competition. What are the four flavors? Vanilla, Chocolate, Strawberry, and Cinnamon.

On the Fifth Day of Christmas, Willie the Wildcat gave to me - Five days of engineering, math and science for 8th and 9th grade girls at the EXCITE! Workshop. This summer experience, held in Manhattan, features hands-on activities by K-State faculty members focused around biofuels, computer-gaming design, nano-sensors, robotics, green roof design, and the principles of flight.

On the Sixth Day of Christmas, Willie the Wildcat gave to me - A Sixth place finish by the Army ROTC Wildcat Battalion at the Task Force Dodge Regional Ranger Challenge. The contest, nicknamed "15 hours of pain," consists of eight events including the Army physical fitness test, the grenade assault course, basic rifle marksmanship, the field leader reaction course, orienteering, one rope bridge, weapons assembly and disassembly, and the 10K ruck march.

On the Seventh Day of Christmas, Willie the Wildcat gave to me - A Seventh upcoming Annual Diversity Summit in early 2010. The past year's diversity summit was highlighted by Wilma Mankiller, the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation.

On the Eighth Day of Christmas, Willie the Wildcat gave to me - Eight national crop judging titles. The K-State crops judging team continues a proud tradition of excellence, and has won the national title eight times in the last 11 years. To win the title, teams had to perform well in plant and seed identification, grain grading, and seed analysis.

On the Ninth Day of Christmas, Willie the Wildcat gave to me - Nine thousand dollars in prize money in the first Next Big Thing Competition. During the past year, K-State's Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship sponsored a competition designed to bring out the best in new ideas in either the product area or service area.

On the Tenth Day of Christmas, Willie the Wildcat gave to me - A 10 day educational trip to Europe to explore how international travel can impact future classrooms. Michele Murphy, a senior in elementary education, won a scholarship from Kappa Delta Pi to help bring more international perspectives into the classroom when she graduates from K-State and starts teaching full time.

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas, Willie the Wildcat gave to me - 11 women's basketball teams in the Big 12 who finished behind K-State in academics. For the second consecutive year, K-State was named to the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Academic Top 25 Team Honor Roll with a team GPA of 3.374. In 2008 - 2009, K-State was the only Big 12 team to make the list.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas, Willie the Wildcat gave to me - 12th Annual Regier Golf Tournament, which benefits K-State's Terry C. Johnson Center for Basic Cancer Research. This event, held annually at K-State's Colbert Hills Golf Course, has raised over $150,000 in support of cancer research at the center.

We had a great year in 2009 -- and 2010 will be another banner year for the Wildcat nation. Have a great holiday and be safe. See you in 2010!